Thursday 31 March 2016

Xiaomi Mi 5 finally goes official in India with 32GB storage/3GB RAM variant, priced at Rs. 24,999


After a wait of a month, Xiaomi Mi 5 is finally launched for the Indian, at Rs. 24,999 for 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant. As of now, the device will be up for sale via Mi.com, starting from April 6. However, Hugo Barra confirmed that it will soon be available through other retailers as well.

Several variants of the Xiaomi Mi 5 are up for sale in China, but India has only got the 32GB variant for now. In terms of design, the 32GB variant features a 3D Glass back, which gives it a premium look. Additionally, the 32GB storage variant comes powered by a 1.8GHz Snapdragon 820 chipset coupled with 3GB of RAM. In terms of other specifications, the Xiaomi Mi 5 comes with 5.15-inch Full HD display with 1080p resolution, and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with MIUI 7.

The smartphone also features a fingerprint scanner, which is embedded into the Home Button. In the imaging department, it sports a 16-megapixel rear camera adorned with features such as 4K video recording functionality, four-axis Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), dual-tone LED flash and PDAF. There is a 4-megapixel selfie camera onboard. In the connectivity segment, the phone supports dual-SIM, 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, IR Blaster, NFC, and USB Type-C port. It is backed by a 3,000 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 support.

Given the pricing and specifications, we believe Xiaomi Mi 5 is going to give a stiff competition to other major flagships launched this year. It would be interesting to see what impact the Mi 5 creates in India, as it already received a great response from buyers in China.

Xiaomi unveils Redmi 3 ‘Pro’ with 3GB of RAM, 32GB internal storage and Fingerprint Sensor

Xiaomi launched the Redmi 3 at the starting of this year, now the company has announced the Redmi 3 Pro smartphone in China. The device will go on sale in the region from April 6. The smartphone will be available in Gray, Silver and Gold color options, for a price of 899 yuan (approx. Rs. 9190). Xiaomi has revealed no information regarding the device’s global availability yet.

The Redmi 3 Pro comes equipped with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and a fingerprint sensor, which is placed on the back. Rest of the specifications of the device are identical to the Redmi 3. These specs include a 5-inch HD display, octa-core Snapdragon 616 chipset, Android 5.0 Lollipop with MIUI 7 on top. There is a 13-megapixel primary camera onboard with LED flash, 1080p video recording capabilility, PDAF, along with a 5-megapixel selfie camera.

The Redmi 3 Pro comes embodied in a full metal magnesium alloy unibody design and is backed by a 4100mAh battery. In terms of connectivity, the device supports Hybrid dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, and GLONASS.

Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro specifications:

  • 5-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels
  • 64-bit Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 chipset coupled with 3GB of RAM
  • 32GB internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD card
  • Android 5.0 Lollipop with MIUI 7 skinned on top
  • 13MP primary camera with LED Flash and 5MP front-facing camera,
  • Hybrid dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, and GLONASS
  • Measures 139.3 x 69.6 x 8.5mm; Weighs 144 grams
  • 4,000mAh battery

Tuesday 22 March 2016

Apple iPhone SE goes official.


After a slew of leaks, the Apple iPhone SE has been made official. The 4-inch iPhone is designed to cater the needs of a small-screen smartphone at a comparatively cheaper price tag. The iPhone SE is a result of Apple’s 2015 sales report that touts that the company sold 30 million 4-inch iPhone models in the year 2015. The “SE” refers to “Special Edition”.

At the launch event, Apple declared that the starting price of the iPhone SE will be Rs. 39,000 for the Indian market. It will go on sale in the starting of April.

The Apple iPhone SE features a lot of stuff that was introduced in the iPhone 6s, however, in terms of design the device looks a lot like the iPhone 5s, which was Apple’s last 4-incher. Apple claims that the latest iPhone SE comes with the same processing power as the iPhone 6s. It means that the iPhone SE is almost twice as powerful as the iPhone 5s that was unveiled in the year 2013.

It features stark resemblance with the iPhone 5s, but with more rounded corners like the iPhone 6s. The iPhone SE will be available in Space Gray, Gold, Silver, and Rose Gold color variants with 16GB/64GB storage options. The 16GB variant of the iPhone SE for the US markets has been priced at $399 while the 64GB variant will retail at $499. It will go on sale on March 31, and will be available in 100 more countries by the month of May.

In terms of specifications, the iPhone SE comes powered by Apple A9 chipset along with M9 motion coprocessor. The device sports a 12-megapixel iSight (primary) camera with 4K video support, along with a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime (front-facing) camera. In terms of connectivity, the device supports Bluetooth 4.2, enhanced Wi-Fi and LTE, latest microphones. It will also support Apple Pay with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

Apple retained its TouchID feature. However, the company claimed that it has upgraded the network performance on the iPhone SE up to three times on Wi-Fi network and 50% on LTE speeds when compared to the iPhone 5s.


Monday 21 March 2016

InFocus Bingo 10 launched with 5MP front snapper with LED flash and Android 6.0 Marshmallow at Rs. 4,299 via Snapdeal

Looks like InFocus is on a launch spree, the company launched two smartphones recently and has unveiled one more device today. The latest one to join its Bingo series is the Bingo 10 smartphone. It will be retailing at Rs. 4,299 exclusively via Snapdeal, starting from today onwards.

The InFocus Bingo 10 smartphone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with InLife UI 2.0 out-of-the-box, which is touted by the company to be the “world’s most affordable Android Marshmallow smartphone.” It sports a 5-megapixel rear and front cameras with LED flash. The device features a 4.5-inch FWVGA display with a resolution of 480×854 pixels.

It bears 8GB of internal storage (expandable up to 64GB via microSD card), and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek (MT6580A) chipset paired with 1GB of RAM. The phone measures 135.6×67.3×10.4 mm; Weighs 140 grams, and will be available in Black and White colour variants. In the connectivity department, it supports dual-SIM, 3G, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS, and Bluetooth. Backing the InFocus Bingo 10 is a 2,000mAh battery.

InFocus Bingo 10 specifications:

  • 4.5-inch FWVGA display with a resolution of 480×854 pixels
  • 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6580A chipset paired with 1GB of RAM
  • 8GB internal storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
  • 5MP rear and front cameras with LED flash
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Inlife UI 2.0 skinned on top
  • dual-SIM, 3G, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS, and Bluetooth
  • Measures 135.65×67.38×10.43 mm; Weighs 140 grams
  • 2,000mAh battery

Friday 18 March 2016

Lava V2s goes official with 8MP front camera with LED flash for Rs. 7899.


Lava has launched yet another smartphone in its “V” series. The device is named as Lava V2s, and is now up for sale at Rs. 7,899 via Amazon India. The main talking point of the device is its 8-megapixel front-facing camera that is equipped with LED flash. Another noteworthy feature of the device is its support for 4G LTE connectivity for Indian bands.

The Lava V2s is a dual-SIM smartphone that features a 5-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 720×1280 pixels and a pixel density of 294ppi. It is powered by a 1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735P chipset coupled with 2GB of RAM, and 8GB of expandable internal storage (up to 32GB). It is backed by a 2,500mAh battery, weighs 129 grams, and measures 141.6×70.8×8 mm. The device runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box and is upgradable to Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Lava V2s specifications:

  • 5-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 720×1280 pixels
  • 1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735P chipset coupled with 2GB of RAM
  • 8GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
  • Android 5.1 Lollipop
  • 8MP rear camera with dual-LED flash, and 8MP selfie camera with LED flash
  • Measures 141.6×70.8×8 mm; Weighs 129 grams
  • dual-SIM, 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS
  • 2,500mAh battery

Thursday 10 March 2016

Panasonic T50 launched with 4.5-inch display, SAIL UI and 1GB RAM at Rs. 4,990

Panasonic has come up with yet another budget smartphone, the Panasonic T50. One of the
main features of the device is that it runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with Panasonic’s own SAIL
UI skinned on top.

It is a dual-SIM smartphone with a variety of personalized SAIL UI features such as Batch
Arranging for the launcher, which assists in combining various apps into groups like genre
and frequency of use. It also has Gesture Controls that enable users to access many
features and operations undeviatingly It also comes with a Theme Club that is bundled with
many themes.

The Panasonic T50 features a 4.5-inch FWVGA display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels,
and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor clubbed with 1GB of RAM. It comes with a 5-
megapixel primary camera with LED flash, along with a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The
fresh SAIL camera default app is studded with 9 beauty camera modes, Pose mode, Child mode,
Watermark and various extra features. It will be up for sale in Champagne Gold, Midnight
Blue, and Rose Gold color options for a price of Rs. 4,990.

Panasonic T50 specifications:

  • 4.5-inch FWVGA display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels
  • 1.3GHz quad-core processor clubbed with 1GB of RAM
  • 8GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
  • Android 5.1 Lollipop with Panasonic SAIL UI skinned on top
  • 5MP primary camera with LED Flash and 2MP front-facing camera
  • dual-SIM, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS
  • 1600mAh battery

Thursday 3 March 2016

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 goes official in India with 5.5-inch Full HD display, starting at Rs. 9,999

Xiaomi finally launched its much-awaited phablet, the Redmi Note 3 in India, today. The device has been priced at Rs. 9,999 onwards, and given it is set to compete with the Lenovo K4 Note, LeEco Le 1s, and Huawei Honor 5X. The device will be up for sale from Wednesday on Mi.com, and Amazon. It will also be listed on Flipkart and Snapdeal in coming weeks.

The Redmi Note 3 will be available in two variants: one with 16GB internal storage paired with 2GB of RAM (priced at Rs. 9,999), and the other with 32GB internal storage paired with 3GB of RAM (priced at Rs. 11,999). The device comes with a 5.5-inch full-HD display with a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels. The phone runs MIUI 7 based Android 5.0 Lollipop, and is powered by Qualcomm’s hexa-core Snapdragon 650 chipset. It sports a 16-megapixel primary camera with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and two-tone flash, along with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

The smartphone supports connectivity options such as Hybrid dual-SIM (Micro+Nano), 4G LTE, VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + GLONASS, and Fingerprint sensor. Both the variants are backed by a 4,050mAh battery, which supports fast charging that can fuel up the device up to 50 percent in an hour. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 will be available in Gold, Silver, and Dark Grey color options.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 specifications:

  • 5.5-inch full-HD display with a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels
  • Qualcomm’s hexa-core Snapdragon 650 chipset
  • 2GB / 3GB RAM, 16GB / 32GB expandable internal storage via microSD card
  • MIUI 7 based Android 5.0 Lollipop
  • 16MP primary camera with dual-tone LED Flash, and 5MP front-facing camera
  • Hybrid dual-SIM, 4G LTE, VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + GLONASS, and Fingerprint sensor
  • 4050mAh battery